Hitherto, there have been used disc recording and/or reproducing apparatuses provided with disc exchange function adapted for accommodating in advance plural discs such as optical disc, magneto-optical disc or magnetic disc, etc. on which information signals are to be recorded, or have been recorded to selectively take out an arbitrary one disc from these plural discs to carry the disc thus taken out to a recording and/or reproduction unit to allow it to undergo loading with respect thereto and thereby carry out recording and/or reproduction of information signals.
The disc recording/reproducing apparatus (hereinafter referred to as disc recording/reproduction unit as occasion may demand) of this kind comprises a disc accommodating body for accommodating plural discs therein, a drawing mechanism for selectively drawing out an arbitrary one disc from plural discs accommodated within the disc accommodating body, and a carry mechanism for carrying the disc drawn out by the drawing mechanism to the recording/reproduction unit.
The disc accommodating body provided in this disc recording/reproduction unit is constituted so as to accommodate plural discs with a predetermined interval (spacing) therebetween in such a manner that their principal surfaces are opposite to each other. Namely, the plural discs are accommodated within the disc accommodating body in such a manner that they are stacked with to each other in upper and lower directions.
In this case, in order to increase, without enlarging the disc recording/reproduction unit, the number of discs accommodated within this unit, it is required to improve accommodation efficiency of discs accommodated within the disc accommodating body.
In order to improve the accommodation efficiency of discs into the disc accommodating body, the intervals (spacings) between the respective disc accommodating portions for accommodating discs one by one, which are constituted within the disc accommodating body, are reduced, thereby making it possible to realize such improvement.
However, when the intervals between the disc accommodating portions are reduced, the intervals (spacings) between respective discs accommodated at the respective disc accommodating portions are reduced. For this reason, it would become impossible to draw out, by using the disc drawing mechanism, only a predetermined one disc from plural discs accommodated at the disc accommodating portions in such a manner that they are stacked.
Particularly, in the unit using a disc drawing mechanism adapted to grip or grasp a predetermined one disc from plural discs from a direction perpendicular to the principal surface and to draw the disc out, it becomes impossible to insert the gripping or grasping portion for gripping or grasping the disc into portions between discs stacked to each other. As a result, it becomes impossible to carry out drawing operation of the disc. In the disc drawing mechanism for gripping or grasping the disc from a direction perpendicular to the principal surface and for taking-out of the disc, it is necessary to open and close the gripping or grasping portion for the purpose of gripping or grasping the disc. In order to securely carry out drawing operation of a predetermined disc, gaps into which the gripping or grasping portion is inserted allowing it to open and close it are required between respective discs accommodated in such a manner that they are stacked to each other. As a result, it has become impossible to realize improvement in the accommodation efficiency of discs accommodated within the disc accommodating body.
In addition, when a portion of the disc drawing mechanism comes into contact with the signal recording surface of the disc in carrying out drawing operation of the disc, there is also the possibility that this signal recording surface may be damaged.